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Thursday, April 5, 2012

Whitney Houston was found face-down in a bathtub with cocaine in her system and drug paraphernalia on the bathroom counter nearby, investigators revealed in the singer's final autopsy report released Wednesday.

The report delivered a grim accounting of Houston's final hours nearly three months ago. The singer complained of a sore throat before an assistant suggested she take a bath before the start of a pre-Grammy Awards gala. By the time the assistant returned, Houston had drowned and was lying face down in the tub.

Investigators who scoured the room later found in the bathroom a "spoon with a white crystal like substance in it," and a white powdery substance in a drawer and on a mirror, according the report.

Toxicology results also showed Houston had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril, and the allergy medication Benadryl in her system, but none are considered factors in her death.

The report provides a sad footnote to Houston's life, revealing the toll the singer's drug use took on her body.

When coroner's officials said two weeks ago that Houston died from accidental drowning, they also revealed that cocaine had played a role in her death. The office has said there were signs of both chronic and recent use.